Warning for Women: Are you aware of your online reputation?

Remember when your reputation had to do with the company you kept? And once you matured you were quick to correct anyone who would try to tarnish your image, because you knew that future endeavors like college and career would depend on it. Well, your online reputation is just as important. If you have ever done a search for your name on the internet, you were likely surprised to find a host of other people with the same name. I did, and my name is not that common, or so I thought. With further inspection, I have noticed that some of my namesakes are into all sorts of career choices; not necessarily ones I would chose for me. Just today, a message was sent to my Facebook account by someone wondering if I was an old friend (a common occurrence). I was NOT the person she was looking for (also common), but it reveals that information and identities are often confused.

The advent of the World Wide Web and social networking sites has created many benefits that we all use on a daily basis to make our lives easier and more pleasurable. We socialize, pay our bills, reconcile our checking accounts, review our medical records, buy our goods and services, and gather information all over the internet. Most of us do not see the need for reputation management because we are naturally good people who would never use these resources to cause harm. But what about the “home detective” shops that are overly anxious to sell, what may be, your last three addresses, phone numbers, and family secrets for a special membership rate? Or what about the online smear campaigns levied against people by sloppy journalist – these days that is anyone with a mean-spirited opinion and a website? Do you actually know what is being said about you and if it is negative, how do you respond?

Mistakes are made; identities are confused; and too many times, stolen. Unfortunately, that same bad news or misinformation can spread quicker, faster and last longer on the internet. Yet this is our greatest source for data. In fact, more and more Universities, Employers and Customers are relying on these online searches to make their decisions about you. Perhaps, now is the time to defend yourself and learn more about Online Reputation Management.